Siyabonga Mokoena (11) had a dream of sitting in a race car and feeling the thrill of speed. Thanks to Paedspal, a center that provides palliative care and support for critically ill children and their families, his dream came true on Saturday, March 4.
Paedspal is based in Rondebosch and works closely with the Red Cross Hospital, where Siya is being treated for a rare and incurable disorder called degenerative lymphomyopathy. This condition affects the nerves and muscles of the intestines and makes it hard for him to eat and digest food.
Siya’s mom, Grace, who lives in Table View, says Siya has always been fascinated by race cars. She says it all started with “Lightning McQueen” from the animated movie Cars, who is still his favorite movie character. But from there, his love for racing cars grew, and he wanted to see them in real life.
But Siya’s life is not a fairy tale. He is in a race against time, and his chances of living past the age of 16 are slim. Doctors can only manage his symptoms and hope for a miracle.
“For now, he is doing fine,” says Grace, who refuses to lose hope that someone will find a cure.
“We’re being positive and praying for the best; that’s all we can do for now,” adds her best friend, Kamo Mtshali, who has been Grace’s rock since Siya was diagnosed.
The race car that Siya got to sit in earlier this month belongs to Dee-Jay Booysen from Burgundy Estate, the current Formula Libre champion.
Booysen says he was contacted by a friend who is involved with the hospital and Paedspal, and when he heard Siya’s story, he didn’t hesitate to help.
“No one likes being ill, and for a moment it allowed him to forget about it all,” says Booysen.
Siya, his mom and sister, as well as Mtshali and her kids, were invited to spend Saturday at Killarney Raceway, where the second round of the Power Series was taking place.
Just before the race, Siya had the chance to sit in the Formula VW that Booysen has been driving for the past three years, in which he won both the Formula Libre Class S and overall championship titles last year.
Booysen says they even started the car for Siya. “Just the smile on his face made it worth it,” says Booysen. “It reminded me of the times I came to Killarney as a kid and looked up to my role models.
“Siya and his family are amazing people, and it was an honor for Team Dico to have them as our guests.”
To make the day even more special, Booysen also had some supporter caps made for Siya as well as a signed poster with Siya’s name on it.
“I also offered to help him if he wants to give motorsport a try when he is older. Siya is an amazing kid, and having him and his family in our garage made my day special.”
After his ride in Booysen’s red Formula VW, Siya also got to try the Formula Vee of Dico teammate Ryno Pentz.
Grace says she is amazed and thankful for all the effort to make Siya’s day special.
“Dee-Jay went out of his way and made our day extra fun.”
She adds that Paedspal has also been amazing in its support from the start.
Angela Rackstraw, who is Siya’s art psychotherapist at Paedspal, says it all started when they were talking about dreams. Her nephew, Andrew Rackstraw, who is an RDSA Formula 1600 driver, had just competed in the Cape International Nine-Hour endurance race held at Kyalami in December last year.
The race was won by the MJR Audi R8 of Luca Engstler, Andrew Rackstraw, and Kwanda Mokoena.
During the process, 18-year-old Mokoena made history as South Africa’s first black endurance sports car racing champion.
Angela shared some photos from the race with Siya, and when he saw that Kwanda shared his surname, he got even more excited. Originally, Siya was supposed to meet Andrew, but their racing schedules clashed. That’s when Booysen stepped in and took things up a notch.
Siya returned to the Killarney race track on Saturday, March 18, and finally got to shake hands with Andrew. It was a moment he’ll never forget.
Along with other kids from his school in Blaauwberg, Siya got to meet the racers during the fan walk at 13:00. The whole experience has been incredibly uplifting for Siya and his mom, Grace.
Grace told Angela that Siya feels like the luckiest boy in the world. That’s exactly what Paedspal aims to do—help their patients and families live each day to the fullest.
